Europe is nicknamed the “Old Continent”. A name given in opposition to the nickname given to the American continent at the time of its discovery in 1492: “The New World”. Europe is a continent crossed by multiple episodes of wars of civilization. Athens, capital of Greece, is the oldest city on the European continent. The city was founded in 800 BC but archaeological excavations attest to a human presence from the Neolithic period, between 5,800 and 2,500 years BC.